18mm X 750mm X 2300mm plywood door weight

[MrsRenovator]

I want to make a single wardrobe door (and frame) for a deep alcove.

Door width 750mm
Door height 2300mm

Will 18mm plywood warp?
Will it be too heavy?
Would 5 hinges be enough?
Am I an idiot?

Any comments appreciated.
Ta.

Edit: I've just seen the price of birch ply!! It'll have to be MDF. And I've never yet succeeded in getting a good smooth painted finish on MDF.

 

[robinbanks]

Will 18mm plywood warp?

Yes

Will it be too heavy?

For what? Nearly anything can be made so almost nothing is too heavy

Would 5 hinges be enough?

Depends on the hinge

Am I an idiot?

You're not an idiot, but I don't think you're being specific enough about your plans to really give the level of advice you require

I've just seen the price of birch ply!! It'll have to be MDF. And I've never yet succeeded in getting a good smooth painted finish on MDF.

And you've smoothly painted birch ply to the finish you require? Get birch ply then; better to pay double and get a result than half and have a pig's ear that will cost thrice more to make good?

At the dimensions you're quoting I think I'd look to simply buy an already made, already finished door that is either 686 or 762 and either add to the top and bottom of it, or build something onto the alcove to bring it down a bit or build something that looks like it's part of the alcove, but fix it to the top of the door

 

[MrsRenovator]

Thanks.

I haven't actually found a door suitable yet that I could chop down. But I'll keep looking.

Re: will it be too heavy? I meant, will it be too heavy as a single door given the width? Wardrobe doors seem to have max 600mm width doors and I was wondering if that's because the weight is restrictive.

I looked at IKEA pax doorswitha view to hacking the height, but for a 750mm wardrobe they only sell a 500 and a 250.

I was going to use 5 X hafele full overlay concealed hinges.

For simplicity, I'd much prefer to spend my money on a ready built unit or a flatpack, but it's an alcove in a corner, with restrictive access and without a single 90° angle anywhere.

For the last 15years it's had a curtain over it and now im sick of the sight of it and want a door.

 

[foxhole]

Mdf would be my choice , I made a door that size and also covered it with a mirror. Used 6 hinges . Best finish is achieved with a paint roller .

 

[big-all]

you will need a plinth top and bottom for scribing to deviations
think about a normal eggbox door with frame each side with a top cupboard or drawer underneath or both

 

[MrsRenovator]

Thanks for your replies. Your comments have made me go back to the drawing board and start again.

Here's a photo of the hated curtain

You can see I have already removed the old plinth.

Here's a photo of the alcove including the waste pipes in the base

And here is my latest drawing. My new idea is to incorporate the existing protruding stud wall on the left as part of the wardrobe frame by mimicking it on the right. I want to maximise the inside space so I havent worked out yet how to bring the framework on the right inward to support the door hinges.

My idea is that if I add a top filler panel and paint that with emulsion, but paint the cornice and left stud in satin paint. then the balance of the unit will be better. I dont want to make the doorway feel cramped or have difficult access, but having the doors smaller should make it easier and still not make it feel cramped.



What do you think?

 

[opps]

I've never yet succeeded in getting a good smooth painted finish on MDF

I am a decorator.

I use cheap as chips Leyland Trade acrylic primer. When dried, I sand most of it back.



The Leyland stuff is a dream to sand back. I use 240g paper on a random orbital sander and the MDF is much smoother than it was when manufactured. That said, I then paint it with oil based paints. They do not cause the grain to raise any further, waterbased paints will. When customers insist on a waterbased finish, I first use oil based undercoat, but you have to wait a week for the solvents in the oil based paint to evaporate. If you apply water based paint too soon, you end up with "fisheyes" in the paint- basically "wells" where the WB paint has pushed away.

The potential quality of finish of MDF, if painted properly, far exceeds ply.

 

[MrsRenovator]

Great advice. Thanks. Can't beat experience.